Supporting intermediary organisations (providing financial support to civil society organisations) working in the fields of gender-based violence and ...

CERV-2026 is an EU CERV Programme call to fund intermediary organisations to regrant funds and deliver capacity-building to grassroots civil society organisations addressing gender-based violence and violence against children. Indicative budget for this priority is €8,000,000 with individual project grants between €1,000,000 and €2,500,000, project duration 36 months and regranting required to represent roughly 60 to 70 percent of the grant, with a maximum €60,000 per third party. Eligible lead applicants are non-profit legal entities established in EU Member States or CERV-associated countries with at least three years' recent experience in CSO capacity building and grant management. Proposals must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 03 November 2026, follow the CERV templates including a 70-page Part B limit, and will be evaluated on relevance, quality and impact with an overall threshold of 70 points.

What it funds

Scope and focus

EU action grants under the CERV programme to prevent and combat gender-based violence and violence against children. This specific topic selects intermediary organisations to regrant funding to grassroots civil society organisations (CSOs) and deliver mandatory capacity-building. Funded activities include regranting to CSOs, capacity building, awareness, service design, multi-agency cooperation and monitoring/evaluation.

Indicative budget for this priority:€8 000 000 allocated to Priority 1 (regranting). The overall call budget is €21 000 000 across five priorities.

1. 1Financial support to third parties: each third-party project and maximum regrant per third party is €60,000; no co-financing required from third parties.
2. 2Intermediary applicants are expected to dedicate roughly 60–70% of their grant to regranting and must include a mandatory capacity‑building work package.

Applications are submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposals must follow the call document requirements (regranting rules, mandatory deliverables, child protection safeguards for actions involving children, risk management and transparency obligations).

Deadline:3 November 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Call opens 7 July 2026. Submission is single-stage and in English (other EU languages allowed for parts).

How awards are made

Evaluation against relevance, quality and impact (total 100 points; thresholds apply). Successful applicants enter grant preparation where legal validation, financial checks and the lump-sum grant agreement (90% funding rate applied to the fixed lump sum) are finalised.

Where to find details:Full call fiche, templates and guidance are on the Portal topic page: Call topic page.

Call title and purpose

Call for proposals to prevent and combat gender-based violence and violence against children under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV). This topic CERV-2026 specifically targets supporting intermediary organisations that will provide financial support to grassroots civil society organisations (CSOs) and build their capacities to prevent and combat gender-based violence and/or violence against children. For full call conditions see the Call Document and templates available in the Submission System CERV-2026-DAPHNE-REGRANTING topic page.

Call deadlines and timetable:Call opening: 07 July 2026. Submission deadline: 03 November 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Evaluation: November 2026 to May 2027. Information to applicants: May 2027. Grant signature: June–July 2027 ¹.

Scope, objectives and expected impact

Scope:This topic is one of five priorities in the CERV-2026-DAPHNE call. It aims to select intermediaries to regrant funding and implement mandatory capacity-building programmes for grassroots CSOs working on gender-based violence and/or violence against children. Intermediaries will design open regranting calls to reach small and grassroots organisations, especially those with limited capacity or access to funding, including organisations in remote and rural areas. Projects can be national or transnational and must include a detailed monitoring and evaluation system for both regranting and capacity-building.

Primary expected impacts include increased capacity of stakeholders and grassroots organisations to address gender-based violence and violence against children, strengthened multi-agency cooperation, and sustainable results aligned with EU policy (including the VAW Directive and the Commission Recommendation on integrated child protection systems).

Indicative budget and funding modality

Indicative funding for Priority 1 (REGRANTING):€8,000,000. Total call budget across all priorities: €21,000,000. Grants will be awarded as Lump Sum Grants with a 90 percent funding rate. The grant model is lump sum (fixed amount) determined on the basis of the detailed budget table and lump sum methodology. Applicants should consult the Call Document for the lump sum calculation methods and annexes ¹.

Eligibility and participant requirements

Eligible applicants:legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries: EU Member States (including Overseas Countries and Territories), countries associated to CERV, and countries which become associated before grant signature. International organisations are eligible. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders where applicable. EU bodies (except the Commission Joint Research Centre) cannot participate.

Eligible applicant types:Primary eligible applicant types for this topic: intermediary organisations which can be nonprofit civil society organisations, NGOs, public bodies, research or support organisations, or consortia including these types. The intermediary may be a single applicant or a consortium. For Priority 1 lead applicants must be non-profit making entities; profit-oriented organisations may participate as partners but not as lead applicants.

Consortium requirement:For Priority 1, applications can be submitted either by a single applicant or by a consortium (national or transnational). If submitted by a consortium, the consortium must collectively meet the experience requirements described below. For other priorities the rules differ, but do not apply to this topic.

Minimum experience required (Priority 1):Applicants must have at least 3 years of recent proven experience in implementing CSO capacity-building activities in the fields of gender-based violence and/or violence against children and recent proven experience in awarding and managing grants in these fields. When a consortium applies, these two requirements may be fulfilled by different members of the consortium (together covering both requirements).

Project finance, regranted amounts and rules for third parties

Financial support to third parties (FSTP), i.e., regranting, is mandatory under Priority 1. Intermediaries must dedicate a significant share of the grant to regranting (typically 60–70% of the grant). The maximum amount per third party and per regranted project is €60,000. Third parties must be non-profit grassroots CSOs established in an eligible country. Third parties cannot be affiliated entities of the intermediary. Third parties are not required to co-finance and should be able to use simplified cost options such as lump sums. Activities by third parties must take place in eligible countries and within the project implementation period. Third-party projects should typically last six to twelve months, and third parties have one month after project end to submit their report to the intermediary.

Intermediaries must publish calls for proposals for third parties in appropriate EU languages and keep them open for at least two months; open-ended calls are allowed. Intermediaries must ensure objective, transparent selection procedures, conflict of interest safeguards, and an appeals mechanism. Intermediaries are responsible for the monitoring and oversight of third-party projects and must include contractual clauses allowing EU bodies (OLAF, ECA, EPPO, etc.) rights to exercise checks over recipients of regranting.

Project scope, activities and mandatory work packages

Scope of eligible activities includes prevention, protection, capacity-building, awareness-raising, training, design and implementation of services and tools, development of guidelines and methods, creation of toolkits and databases, and analytical activities. For Priority 1 applicants must include both mandatory work packages: financial support to third parties (WP2) and capacity-building (WP3), plus a project management WP (WP1) and communication WP (WP4). The regranting WP must include clear, fixed lists of eligible activities for third parties, selection criteria, award procedures, maximum amounts and outreach plans.

Mandatory technical and management features for intermediary proposals:Proposals must contain: a detailed CSO landscape assessment, a transparent regranting design (calls, selection and award criteria), criteria and ceilings for amounts to third parties, capacity-building programme for grantees, detailed monitoring and evaluation for intermediary and third-party projects, a solid management and control system covering selection, monitoring, risk and reputation management, and a public webpage where identity fiches and final reports for third-party projects are published.

Project duration, budget and eligible costs

Project duration for Priority 1 must be 36 months. Eligible project budgets for Priority 1 must be between €1,000,000 and €2,500,000. The lump sum grant will be calculated using the detailed budget table; intermediaries should allocate most funds to regranting (budget category D.1). Under the lump sum model, the estimated budget must comply with basic eligibility conditions for actual cost grants and the detailed budget table serves as the basis for fixing the lump sums. Coordination and management costs for WP1 should normally not exceed 10 percent of the total project costs, though for Priority 1 a higher percentage may be justified due to regranting management tasks.

Application and submission process

Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. The application consists of Part A (administrative data entered online), Part B (technical description uploaded as PDF), KPI tool and mandatory annexes (detailed budget table in .xlsx, CVs, activity reports, lists of previous projects, Child Protection Policy or Child Protection Policy Declaration for public bodies). Paper submissions are not accepted. Proposals are subject to page limits: Part B up to 70 pages for Priority 1. One entity can submit only one proposal as coordinator, but can participate as partner in other proposals. Applications must be complete and submitted before the deadline; late or incomplete submissions risk rejection.

Templates and required documents:Call documents, application form templates, detailed budget table (CERV LSII), child protection policy declaration, Model Grant Agreements (Lump Sum MGA), and other templates are available in the Submission System reference documents and must be used. The standard application form (CERV) in the Submission System must be used and Part B must follow the template and structure provided. The Child Protection Policy (CPP) is mandatory for participants directly involving children; public entities may submit the Child Protection Policy Declaration template.

Evaluation, award criteria and success factors

Evaluation procedure:single-stage submission, one-step evaluation by an evaluation committee assisted by independent experts. Eligibility and admissibility checks will be performed first. Award criteria and weighting: Relevance 40 points (individual threshold 25), Quality 40 points, Impact 20 points. Overall pass threshold: 70 out of 100 points. Successful proposals will be invited to grant preparation; this invitation is not a formal funding commitment until legal checks and validations are completed.

1. 1Relevance: alignment with call objectives, needs assessment, target groups, capacity-building and regranting balance, EU added value, transnational dimension.
2. 2Quality: project design, methodology, detailed work plan, monitoring and evaluation, child safeguarding, feasibility, budget coherence and cost-effectiveness, risk management.
3. 3Impact: expected short-, medium- and long-term impacts, dissemination and sustainability strategy, potential for replication and multiplier effects.

Monitoring, reporting and deliverables specific to regranting intermediaries

Intermediaries must implement a monitoring and reporting mechanism covering third-party projects, report standardized information to the Commission, identify and report best-practice third-party projects, report irregularities and reputational risks, and respond to ad-hoc requests. Mandatory deliverables for Priority 1 include two progress reports (months 13 and 25), an impact report at project end analysing effects on third parties, identity fiches per regranting call (award and final), and a publicly accessible dedicated webpage updating the identity fiche information and final outcomes.

Risk management, exclusion and ethics

Intermediaries must implement a strong management and control system addressing selection procedures, conflict of interest prevention, irregularities and fraud, reputational risk and due diligence checks of third parties (including checks of online presence, social media, public records). Applicants subject to EU exclusion decisions or falling under exclusion grounds (bankruptcy, grave professional misconduct, fraud, serious irregularities, etc.) are ineligible. Projects must comply with EU values and high ethical standards, including GDPR compliance, child protection safeguards, and gender and non-discrimination mainstreaming. Child participation and child rights must be integrated where relevant.

Geographic scope and target sectors

Geographic eligibility:EU Member States (including OCTs) and countries associated to CERV; activities must take place in eligible countries. Projects can be national or transnational. Target sectors and thematic scope: gender-based violence prevention and response, violence against children, child protection systems, victim support services, cyberviolence, harmful practices, capacity-building for grassroots CSOs, multi-agency cooperation, and development of tools, guidance, and data/monitoring systems.

Mentioned countries or regions:Explicit region: European Union and eligible countries associated to the CERV Programme. No specific non-EU countries are named in the topic description; the target geography is EU/associated countries.

Project stage and maturity expected

Project stage:implementation and capacity-building at operational level. Intermediaries are expected to operate regranting mechanisms, manage grant-awarding procedures and deliver capacity-building services. The maturity expected is beyond idea and research: applicants must have operational systems to award and manage grants, monitor third-party implementation, and deliver training and organisational capacity-building (development, implementation and evaluation stages).

Funding type, nature of support, co-funding and financial arrangements

Funding type:EU grant, lump sum model. Nature of support to beneficiaries: monetary (the intermediary receives grant money and must regrant funds to third-party CSOs) plus non-monetary services (capacity-building, training, technical support, mentoring and coaching). Third parties receive monetary grants and can use simplified cost options. Intermediaries may also provide non-financial capacity-building services.

Co-funding requirement:Third parties: no co-financing required. For the intermediary grant itself: the CERV lump sum grant funds most of the project at 90 percent funding rate; applicants are expected to demonstrate stable and sufficient resources to deliver the project. No mandatory co-financing from third parties, but applicants must ensure the project budget is balanced and realistic as lump sums are fixed against the planned activities.

Application type and stages:Application type: open call (topic published on Funding & Tenders Portal). Submission procedure: single-stage electronic submission. Evaluation stages: 1) admissibility and eligibility checks, 2) technical evaluation against award criteria, 3) ranking and selection, 4) grant preparation with legal and financial validations. Total application stages applicants must pass: typically 2 main evaluation stages plus grant preparation (admissibility/eligibility and technical evaluation), so effectively 2 major stages before award and a grant preparation stage.

Success rates and competition

Success rates:not explicitly published for this call. The call reserves the right not to award all funds or to redistribute budgets between priorities depending on proposals received. Success depends on meeting thresholds (Relevance minimum 25/40; overall 70/100) and ranking within available budget. Applicants should assume strong competition given EU-level thematic importance and limited indicative budgets.

Application templates and form structure

Application forms:Part A (online) and Part B (PDF upload) for CERV grants. Part B template is provided in the Submission System and follows a structured layout: project summary, relevance (background, needs analysis, complementarity), quality (concept, methodology, consortium set-up, teams, management, M&E, budget and risk), impact (ambition, dissemination and sustainability), detailed work plan and work packages, ethics and EU values, and declarations. Required annexes include the detailed budget table (Excel), CVs of key staff, activity reports, list of previous projects, Child Protection Policy or Declaration. Applicants must follow page limits: 70 pages for Priority 1 Part B. Use Arial 9pt minimum font and A4 with margins. CVs and annex templates are available in the Submission System. The detailed budget table/calculator is mandatory for lump sum grants and used to set lump sums.

1. 1Part A: administrative data, consortium partners and budget summary (entered online).
2. 2Part B: technical description PDF using the CERV template (download, complete, upload).
3. 3KPI tool: online completion of programme indicators.
4. 4Annexes: detailed budget table (.xlsx), CVs, activity reports, list of previous projects, Child Protection Policy or Declaration, letters of support where relevant.

Selection and management requirements for intermediaries

Intermediaries must define:types of organisations eligible for third-party funding, types of eligible activities (closed list), maximum and objective criteria for financial amounts, transparent selection and award criteria, outreach and communications channels, support for weaker CSOs (helpdesks, pre-application support), evaluation procedures including potential two-stage selection for less-prepared applicants, conflict of interest prevention, appeal mechanisms, and publication obligations for award results and third-party identity fiches. Intermediaries are responsible for due diligence to ensure third parties respect EU values and to prevent double funding.

Reporting, auditing and compliance

Reporting:intermediaries must submit progress reports (including two progress reports for Priority 1 at months 13 and 25), an impact report at project end, and identity fiche deliverables for each regranting call. The intermediary must make documentation and project deliverables available and allow checks by EU bodies (OLAF, ECA, EPPO). Financial capacity and legal entity validations will be performed during grant preparation and may require additional documents (financial statements, auditors reports). Prefinancing guarantees may be required depending on financial capacity checks. The Grant Agreement contains liability and recovery clauses and provisions for certificates and audits.

Key risks and mitigation expectations

Key risks include reputational exposure if regranted CSOs act against EU values, fraud or irregularities, poor management of large numbers of third-party grants, double funding, and risks of re-victimisation or harm to beneficiaries (especially children). Intermediaries must present robust risk management and mitigation measures, due diligence procedures, conflict of interest policies, fraud reporting facilities (Fraud Notification System), and contractual clauses that allow auditing of third parties. Child protection and data protection safeguards are essential where children are involved.

Practical advice for applicants

1. 1Read the Call Document and templates carefully and follow all instructions and page limits.
2. 2Ensure you meet the Priority 1 experience requirements (3 years capacity-building + grant management).
3. 3Design regranting calls with a clear closed list of eligible activities, transparent selection and award criteria, and robust outreach to grassroots CSOs in remote and rural areas.
4. 4Build a comprehensive capacity-building programme focused on sustainable organisational development of CSOs, including mentoring, training, and helpdesk support.
5. 5Design robust M&E indicators with baselines and targets, and include plans to measure impact on third parties.
6. 6Prepare child protection policies if the project or third-party activities involve children; public bodies may use the Child Protection Policy Declaration template.
7. 7Anticipate management and reputational risks and provide concrete control and mitigation systems.
8. 8Plan budget distribution so that approximately 60–70% is available for regranting, ensuring the lump sum justification is consistent with the detailed budget table.

Quick reference: eligibility and thresholds

Categorisation answers requested

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Eligible applicants include intermediary organisations, non-profit civil society organisations, NGOs, public bodies, research or support organisations, consortiums of these entities, international organisations. Grassroots CSOs are the target recipients of regranting. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders where legal personality does not exist.
2. 2Funding Type: Grant. Specifically a Lump Sum Grant under CERV Lump Sum Grants (CERV-AG-LS) with financial support to third parties as part of the action.
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Single applicant or consortium is allowed for Priority 1. The call allows either a mono-beneficiary or multi-beneficiary proposal. If a consortium applies, it must collectively meet the experience requirements.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Eligible applicants and activities must be established and implemented in EU Member States (including OCTs) and countries associated to the CERV Programme. Activities must take place in eligible countries.
5. 5Target Sector: Thematic sectors targeted are gender-based violence, victim support services, child protection systems, prevention of violence (including cyberviolence), capacity-building for civil society. Cross-cutting themes include human rights, gender equality, child rights, and digital safety.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Explicitly referenced region: European Union (EU) and countries associated to CERV; no specific non-EU countries named in the topic text. EU Member States and associated countries are the target.
7. 7Project Stage: Expected maturity is operational implementation, capacity-building, regranting and project delivery — development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages rather than basic research or ideation.
8. 8Funding Amount: Indicative Priority 1 envelope €8,000,000. Project funding range for Priority 1 is €1,000,000 to €2,500,000. Maximum grant to any third party is €60,000. Total call budget €21,000,000 across priorities.
9. 9Application Type: Open call published on the Funding & Tenders Portal; electronic submission via the Portal. Submission procedure: single-stage.
10. 10Nature of Support: Both money and non-monetary services. Intermediaries receive grant funding to regrant to third parties (monetary), and provide capacity-building and technical support (non-monetary services).
11. 11Application Stages: Admissibility & eligibility check, technical evaluation (award criteria), ranking/selection and grant preparation (legal and financial checks). Effectively 2 main evaluation steps plus grant preparation (3-stage process overall).
12. 12Success Rates: Not published for this call. Success depends on meeting thresholds (Relevance >=25/40 and overall >=70/100) and ranking within available budget. Applicants should assume strong competition and limited funds.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: Third parties: no co-financing required. Intermediaries: show stable and sufficient resources; the grant funds 90 percent under lump sum. No mandatory co-financing from third parties but applicants must ensure a credible budget plan and financial capacity.
14. 14Templates: Application forms include Part A (online) and Part B (PDF using CERV template). Required annexes: detailed budget table (Excel, basis for lump sums), CVs, activity report(s), list of previous projects, Child Protection Policy or Declaration. Part B structure includes sections on relevance, quality, impact, work plan, management, risks, ethics, and annex lists. Page limit 70 pages for Priority 1 Part B. Child protection templates and annotated Model Grant Agreements are provided in Submission System reference documents.

What is this opportunity about and how to explain it

This opportunity is an EU CERV action grant topic CERV-2026 to fund intermediary organisations that will regrant EU funds and deliver capacity-building to grassroots civil society organisations working on preventing and combating gender-based violence and violence against children. The intermediary role includes designing transparent calls for third-party grants, awarding and monitoring those grants, providing structured capacity-building and coaching to strengthen organisational sustainability and service delivery, ensuring strict child protection and data protection compliance where relevant, and publishing public information about awarded third-party projects. Projects must be 36 months long, request between €1,000,000 and €2,500,000, dedicate the majority of the budget to regranting (typically 60–70 percent), and comply with strict management, control, risk mitigation and EU value safeguards. The call assesses proposals on relevance, quality and impact with strict thresholds and requires comprehensive documentation and templates provided in the Submission System CERV call fiche and documents ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary source: Call Document: Call for proposals to prevent and combat gender-based violence and violence against children, CERV-2026-DAPHNE, European Commission DG JUST, published 07 July 2026; Topic page and templates on Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Funding Opportunity Overview

This opportunity is Priority 1 of the CERV-2026-DAPHNE call under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, specifically designed for intermediary organisations that provide financial support to grassroots civil society organisations (CSOs) working on gender-based violence and violence against children ¹.

Indicative Budget:The total indicative funding available for this priority is €8,000,000, with a total call budget of €21,000,000 covering all five priorities ².

Project Budget Range:Requested grant amounts must be between €1,000,000 and €2,500,000 per project ³.

Who Should Apply

Applicants must be non-profit-making legal entities (public or private bodies) established in an EU Member State or a country associated with the CERV Programme. They must have proven experience of at least 3 years in CSO capacity building and in awarding/managing grants in the fields of gender-based violence or violence against children ⁴.

1. 1Single applicants (monobeneficiary) or consortia are eligible to apply
2. 2Lead applicants must be non-profit making; profit-oriented organisations can only participate as partners
3. 3Public authority involvement is not mandatory but encouraged for sustainability
4. 4Applicants must demonstrate recent proven experience in both capacity building and grant management

Key Eligibility & Requirements

Intermediaries must implement two mandatory work packages:(a) Financial support to third parties (regranting) and (b) Capacity-building programmes for CSOs. The regranting process must target small, grassroots CSOs, including those in remote/rural areas with limited access to funding ⁵.

Application Timeline & Deadlines

1. 1Call Opening: 07 July 2026
2. 2Submission Deadline: 03 November 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time)
3. 3Evaluation Period: November 2026 – May 2027
4. 4Grant Signature: June – July 2027

Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Part B of the application is limited to 70 pages. Mandatory documents include the detailed budget table, CVs of the core team, activity reports, and a Child Protection Policy if activities involve children ⁶.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals are scored on a maximum of 100 points:Relevance (40 points), Quality (40 points), and Impact (20 points). A minimum threshold of 25/40 points for Relevance and 70/100 points overall is required for funding ⁷.

Footnotes

1. 1Official Call Document: CERV-2026-DAPHNE Call for proposals to prevent and combat gender-based violence and violence against children, published 07 July 2026.
2. 2Budget Overview: €8,000,000 allocated specifically for Priority 1 (Regranting) within the total €21,000,000 call budget.
3. 3Project Budget Rules: Minimum €1,000,000 and Maximum €2,500,000 for Priority 1 projects.
4. 4Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must have 3+ years experience in CSO capacity building and grant management in the relevant fields.
5. 5Regranting Scope: 60-70% of the grant must be dedicated to financial support for third parties, targeting grassroots CSOs with limited capacity.
6. 6Submission Requirements: 70-page limit for Part B, mandatory Child Protection Policy for activities involving children, and detailed budget table.
7. 7Award Criteria: Relevance (40 pts), Quality (40 pts), Impact (20 pts); Minimum thresholds: 25 pts for Relevance, 70 pts overall.